Eagle Scout displays his school spirit

Tuesday

Dec 4, 2007 at 12:01 AMDec 4, 2007 at 6:36 AM

BY DOROTHY JOHNSTONSPECIAL TO THE STAR-BANNER

SPARR - Damon Inkell of Troop 439 in Ocala said he is proud to be a Boy Scout. He is also proud of his school, North Marion High, where he is a junior on the football team, which is preparing for Friday night's Class 3A state semifinal game with St. Augustine.
Inkell, 17, turned some of that pride into muscle earlier this year when he undertook a renovation of the school's memorial for Stan Toole, a former North Marion High principal and head football coach.
"The memorial statue has been in desperate need of a spruce-up for a while," Inkell said. "This memorial statue was dedicated to him years ago. Stan Toole was tragically killed in a car accident at a railroad crossing here in Ocala 30 years ago, and this is the first renovation."
Eagle Scout candidates are responsible for recruiting the necessary funds and materials for their projects, Inkell said.
"Everything for the project has to be donated. We have fundraisers and we find donors. Last year, one of our boys, Kyle Kiarkland from Vanguard High, took about a month getting donations to help on his project," he said.
Beyond his academic and athletic responsibilities, Inkell maintains a part-time job at Touch of Paradise in Ocala, a water garden depot.
"My old Scoutmaster, John Randolph Jr., owns and runs Touch of Paradise. They donated railroad ties and the use of a trailer for all the stuff we had to have."
Eagle Scout projects are bigger endeavors than people might think, Inkell added.
"They take time, energy, volunteers and a lot of donations. Absolutely everything for the Eagle Scout projects has to be donated," he said. "Scout leaders and my family, friends and some students helped me clean up the site. They came out Saturday and Sunday."
Volunteers pressure washed the statue, trimmed bushes, pulled weeds and placed new railroad ties and mulch around the basin of the monument.
"We spelled out COLTS with red lava rock, which was cemented in, and placed white gravel around the edge of the letters," he said.
It took two days to collect all the materials and supplies needed for the project. In addition to Randolph, those helping with the project included Chris from Porter Paints, Drew and Russell with Lowe's on Silver Springs Boulevard, Lena and David from The Dirt Pile, Eric at Casey's Nursery and Landscaping, Don Sparkman of Big Al's Barber Shop, Jeff Henderson, and the North Marion Quarterback Club.
"This memorial is very important. It's one of the parts of pride when the team first comes out of the locker room. It's North Side Pride," Inkell said.